The UEFA European Championships open on June 8 in Warsaw with the game between Poland and Greece. The game will take place in the new National Stadium, designed by Hamburg architects Gerkan, Marg und Partner, which boasts a façade made of red-white perforated metal that makes the structure reflect an open basket. The expanded metal used was manufactured by RMIG, a renowned manufacturer for sheet metals and expanded metals.

The perforation grid used for the stadium is 70 millimeters times 200 millimeters, the profile 20 millimeter. The expanded metal is EN-AW 5754 grade aluminum in thicknesses of 4 and 5 millimeters. In total, 9,024 panels were used to construct the façade, which covers a total surface area of 25,850 square meters.

Given the open structure, the temperature inside the stadium is similar to outside, meaning the building benefits from natural light and natural ventilation.

The façade’s red-and-white colors were also chosen for the 58,500 stadium seats and reference the Polish national colors. Since only about 12 matches get played in Warsaw each year, the stadium will also be used for concerts, congresses and other events.